Five female prisoners went on hunger strike at the Orumiyeh Central Prison in protest to the confiscation of their personal belongings, including “blankets”, by prison guards.

“On Wednesday, October 11, a number of prison guards searched for the personal belongings of the prisoners under the pretext of inspecting the prison. During this inspection, the prison guards seized a number of personal belongings, including personal blankets of several women prisoners while claiming that the seized belongings were extra.”, one of the female prisoners in this ward told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

“The Seize of the private blanket of the detainees was met with massive protests by female prisoners as the weather is slowly getting cold. In protest to this action, five old prisoners of this ward, called Arasteh Ranjbar, Mohabat Mahmoodi, Zainab Sakanand, Nazdar Vatankhah and Nosrat Ali Nejad went on hunger strikes,” the source added.

According to this source, the prison’s blankets are dirty and useless. In such a situation, families of prisoners provide their loved ones with blankets and other requirements at their own expense.

Nosrat Ali Nejad has been charged with narcotics-related crimes while the remaining four other prisoners are serving their prison sentence for murder.

Kurdistan Human Rights Network had previously reported that the women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison is not only crowded but also lacks necessary hygienic facilities. However, despite widespread protests against the present horrible situation of the women’s ward, no improvement has been made in this ward.